Commitment Sunday
Today is commitment Sunday, the day that we make our annual pledge of
financial support to the operations and ministries of this church. At
the end of the sermon you will be invited to come forward and place
your
pledge card on the altar. On this special day we are blessed to have
Cynthia Clawson as our guest co-preacher. Most of you know that
Cynthia is a celebrated singer, a powerfully gifted interpreter of the
gospel in music--as well as co-pastor of Tarrytown Baptist Church. Her
gracious offering of song will conclude the sermon.
Many of us struggle with how much we are supposed to give--or how much
we can, particularly in tough economic times. By today most of you
will
have made that decision. We usually recommend the tithe--the 10% that
the Old Testament prescribed--and urge everyone to set that as a
goal--beginning where you can and building up to that year by year. No
matter where you are, what you are able to do, please make a pledge.
It’s an important spiritual discipline.
Then there’s the matter of how we give. In the past two weeks our
preachers--Merrill and Chuck--have invited us all to come to this
moment
with gratitude for the abundant blessings that God has bestowed upon
us. Amen. Let me also suggest that we give sacrificially. But let me
clarify. Sacrifice can mean pain or loss, But I have in mind the
first
meaning. Sacre means sacred or holy; ficare means to make. So,
to sacrifice means to make sacred, to make holy. We lay our
pledge cards on the altar and leave them there throughout the Eucharist
to consecrate our offerings in thanksgiving to God--to make them holy.
I encourage you to come forward in that spirit of reverance.
Finally: what we are called to give? Today we make a financial
pledge. But that’s just money, it is just the beginning. We are
called
to give our lives to God--nothing less: ”ourselves, our souls and
bodies”--in the words of the Eucharistic prayer from Rite I.
Our hearts, our work, our
relationships, our homes: God has given them all to us in love. When
we
surrender them to God, God gives them back to us--ever more blessed.
Surrendering to God is a marvelous process that unfolds over our
entire
lifetime. The process is punctuated by moments like today, when we
intentionally commit ourselves to God and to one another for the
welfare
of this church family. Other moments include sacraments--baptism,
confirmation, holy matrimony--rituals of life marking our movement
toward God.
Today we will witness such a moment, when we ask God’s
blessing on the marriage of Jennifer Davis and J.B. Barnes. This
beautiful couple married ten years ago. Nothing could be more fitting
on this commitment Sunday than sharing in their commitment of their
relationship to God’s grace and keeping.
Cynthia has chosen three songs to conclude the sermon that represent
her
belief about the commitment we make to God--our lives, our selves, our
souls.
